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3- L':-
v:', f Sj. 65211
jffMf Columbia
76th Year No. 206 Good Morning! It's Thursday, May 17, 1984 2 Sections 16 Pages 25 Cents
Fugitive
at large
iii area
Man accused
of abducting
Eldon family
By Tom Warhover
Missourian staff writer
FAYETTE Police continued to search
early today for a 33- year-- old man who escap-ed
from the Howard County Courthouse here
Wednesday morning shortly after he was ar-rested
in connection with the kidnapping of
five people.
The suspect is identified as William Jacob
Clenin, who three weeks ago had moved to
Fayette fromSt. Joseph.
Howard County Deputy Sheriff Dave Bach- t- el
said that on Tuesday night, Clenin forced
his roommate, One Tomlin, 21, by gunpoint
into a car and then drove to Eldon, 27 mites
southwest of Jefferson City, where he also
abducted a family of four. They then drove
back to the Genin- Tomli- n home in Fayette.'
The family members were identified s
William and Juanita Stark and their chil-dren,
Angie, 8, and Kevin Leroy, 12.
Bachtel said the five people were set free
in the predawn hours of Wednesday when
Tomlin grabbed Qenin's .22- calib- er pistol.
There were no injuries stemming from the
incident
Tomlin and the Stark family then drove
Clenin to the Fayette water plant where the
police radio dispatcher is located. An officer
picked up Clenin and took him to the court-house
where the escape occurred.
Fayette Police Department, Howard Coun-ty
Sheriffs Department and the Missouri
State Highway Patrol joined the search for
Clenin, who was described as 6- fo- ot, 160- pou- nd
white male dressed in a denim shirt,
jeans, baseball cap and a cowboy boots.
According to Tomlin, Clenin had shaved his
curly hair up to two Inches above the ears
Tuesday night prior to the abduction inci-dent
In adjoining Randolph County, the Sher-iffs
Department had set up a roadblock at
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Lynne Buttemorth
Juanita and William Stark with son. Kevin, and dauahter. Anaie, after a kidnapper released them.
the county line in northeastern Howard
County. Tracking dogs and a helicopter were
used during the day in the extensive search.
The incident began about 8 p. m. Tuesday.
" I was laying in bed and here comes this
guy shaking the bed, and with a gun in his
hand," Tomlin said. " You don't argue with a
guy with a gun."
At about 11 p. m. Clenin and Tomlin ar-rived
at the Stark family home in Eldon.
According to Deputy Sheriff Bachtel, Jua-nita
Stark, 30, once had been Qenin's girl-friend
andlived with him for seven months.
Mrs. Stark said that Clenin forced Tomlin
to knock on the door, then hid in the nearby
woods. Tomlin asked for some water be-cause
his car was running hot, she said.
" My husband went to the kitchen for wa-ter,"
Mrs. Stark told UPI. " This man, One
( Tomlin), pulled a pistol and told us if we
wanted to live to get into the car. "
It was then that Clenin came out of the
woods, she said. " He asked me if I would
come back to him to save my husband's life.
I said no," she said. " He said, ' Don't you
love him enough for that?' I said, ' You would
kill him if I did that.'"
Sometime after 11 p. m. Tuesday, Juanita
Stark and the children, clad in pajamas and
nightgowns, and William Stark, shoeless but
wearing jeans and a T- shi- rt, got in Tomlin's
car and rode back to the Fayette home on
Missouri 5 rented by Tomlin and Clenin,
Bachtel said.
At the Fayette home, Clenin began drink-ing,
Tomlin said. When Clenin laid the pistol
on the table, Tomlin grabbed it.
" He was drinking and stuff and acting cra-zy,"
Tomlin said. " He set it ( the pistol) down
for a minute and I grabbed it. I told him to
lay down on the floor.
" He jumped up and started coming at me.
I fired off one round on the floor about 1
feet from him."
It was about 4 a. m. Wednesday when Tom-lin
took Clenin and the Stark family to the
Fayette Police Department Mrs. Stark said
that Tomlin drove 50 mph through the city to
attract the police, but drew no attention.
By 5: 15 a. m., sheriffs deputies and
Fayette police were in the courthouse inter-rogating
Clenin, Tomlin and the Starks. " At
that time it still wasn't clear exactly what
happened," Fayette Police Chief Steve
Morse said.
Morse said that Clenin stepped into an ad-joining
room tiat wasn't guarded.
" He ( Bachtel) thought I was watching him
See POLICE, Page 10A
New college president has lofty ideas
By Colette Panchot
Missourian staff writer
Donald Ruthenberg promised Stephens
College President Patsy Sampson a ride in
his hot- a- ir balloon several years ago in Des
Moines. When Ruthenberg takes office July 1
as Columbia College's next president, Samp-son
will have the chance to take him up on
his offer.
Sampson met Ruthenberg, a licensed com-mercial
balloonist and aviator, through'the
Iowa Association of Independent Colleges
and Universities while she was an adminis-trator
at Drake University.
Their paths may cross Friday when me 54- year--
old
sportsman, theologian and grandfather-
- to- be comes to town to attend the Co-lumbia
College Board of Trustees meeting.
Ruthenberg, president of the Iowa Asso-ciation,
was selected May 1 to replace Bruce
Kelly, Columbia College president since
1977. According to his friends and col-leagues,
Ruthenberg's personality and expe-rience
make him well- suite- d for the job. The
words " cooperative", " innovative" and
." perceptive" cropped up repeatedly in their
remarks.
" Don seeks consensus and keeps people in-formed,"
Sampson said. " He is a very capa-ble
and pleasant person, not a dictator."
Robert Evans, former administrator at
Southwestern College in Winfieki, Kan.,
where Ruthenburg was president from 1972
to 1980, said Ruthenberg's strength is bis
sSEti BBanHaaaBBBhLiBBBiBHSbaflHaV ! ' ''"'--
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I HIP HL dEbtaibia who will kncsw
8 Bpjiis bout Columbia College 5::
ability to transform ideas into reality.
" He very rarely throws a wet blanket on
an idea," Evans said. Because Ruthenberg
is a positive thinker, his enthusiasm tends to
rub off on his co- worke- rs, he said. " He has a
real feel for the espirit of a college," Evans
said. " He is always challenging people to
move ahead, giving them a boost"
Earl SpideL vice president of business af-fairs
at Southwestern College, admires his
leadership style. " His forte is getting people
toexpress themselves and their ideas."
Spidel credits Ruthenburg with improving
the college's community relations. By host-ing
several on- camp- us luncheons with local
business people and becoming involved in
the community, Ruthenburg gained con-structive
ideas as well as financial support
for Southwestern College, Spidel said.
The same will happen for Columbia Col-lege,
Spidel predicted. " There are people in
Columbia who will know about Columbia
College who haven't known before," he said.
Ruthenberg's leadership experience at
Southwestern College, a Methodist school of
about 650 students, combined with his 27
years of experience in education, were
among the factors with which he secured the
Columbia College presidency.
" He was the clear favorite," said Jack
Batterson, Columbia College history profes-sor
and a member of the selection committee
that sifted through 108 applications.
Batterson said he sensed an air of anticipa-tion
surrounding Ruthenberg's arrival. " Al-most
all of the faculty is pleased and excited
about his appointment," he said.
Ruthenberg, who has turned down several
job offers for each of the past eight years,
said he is eager to " hit the ground running"
at Columbia College. Once there, he will ap-ply
his pragmatic problem- solvin- g approach
gained from a lifetime of experience and
from the study of Eastern, Chinese and
Christian philosophy.
" Everything is negotiable in my book,"
Ruthenburg said. " Every issue can be bro-ken
down into workable units. Nothing is in-surmountable
if rational people put their
heads together."
Ruthenberg's appreciation for diversity of
opinion is rooted in his family heritage.
His great- uncl- e, Charles Emil Ruthenberg,
founded the American Communist Party.
Another great- uncl- e, Lewis August Ruthen-berg,
was an original member of the John
Birch Society, a conservative, anti- Commun- ist
group.
" Differences are necessary to keep life
from becoming static," Ruthenburg said.
Special
session
rejected
by Bond
From our wire services
JEFFERSON CITY - Despite the failure
of the 1984 session of the Missouri legis-lature
to approve a measure dealing with
property reassessment. Gov. Christopher
Bond said Wednesday he would not call a
special session on the matter
" I see no compelling need to call a special
session to pursue that which the legislature
was unable to accomplish in the regular ses-sion,"
Bond said.
During a news conference here. Bond also
spoke proudly of the sound financial condi-tion
in which he will leave the state at the
end of his term. The next fiscal year will be-gin
with a substantial cash reserve in the
state treasury, the governor said.
Bond made the remarks after signing sev-eral
bills designed to further improve the
state's system of collecting tax revenue,
yielding an additional $ 26.3 million for the
treasury.
The governor said his administration has
succeeded in guiding the state through seve-ral
years of economic depression as well as
overcoming financial mismanagement by
the previous administration of Gov. Joseph
P. Teasdale.
" I'm very pleased that we can expect a
healthy cash reserve of $ 128 million in the
next fiscal year ( beginning July D," said
Bond. " We inherited a state government that
was $ 270 million out of balance when we took
over in January 1981.
" We found state government being run in a
lousy fashion."
The governor said the state will be in a
strong financial condition when his adminis-tration
ends next January.
The possibility of a special session arose
after a bill intended to keep property assess-ments
up to date in coming years died on the
final night of the 1984 session. Opponents of
the measure staged a filibuster to delay a
vote on the bill.
Senate President Pro Tern John Scott, D- S- t.
Louis, has said he was adamantly op-posed
to a special session on reassessment
And the sponsor of the bill. Sen. James Math- ewso- n,
D- Sedal- ia, said he thought a special
session would not accomplish much.
The Senate provided the strongest resis-tance
to the bill and, at one point in the ses-sion,
spent nearly three weeks debating the
measure.
Senate Minority Leader Richard Webster,
R- Carth- age, said Wednesday that a special
session would do little because there still was
strong opposition to Mathewson's bill.
House Majority Floor Leader Thomas Vil-la,
D- S- t. Louis, also has said he opposed a
special session on reassessment
A few senators and representatives, in-cluding
House Speaker Bob Griffin, D- Cam- er-on,
have said certain provisions in the bill
that define particular classes of property
make it necessary to pass the bill before
statewide property reassessment begins
January of 1985.
But, Bond said he did not believe the mea-sure
needed further debate in the Legis-lature,
which had extensively considered the
bill in its regular session.
The failed reassessment bill set forth pro-cedures
to keep property assessments up- to- da- te
in the coming years.
The Missouri Supreme Court, in a land-mark
1978 ruling, told the Legislature and
the Missouri Tax Commission to put an end ,
to decades of unequal property assessments
in Missouri.
Missouri voters in 1982 approved a consti-tutional
amendment allowing the across- the- boar- d
reassessment The Legislature passed
a reassessment bill in 1983.
This session's failed assessment bill would
have given the counties about $ 3 million a
year to keep property assessments up- to- da- te.
Retirement plan doesn't relax Stephens faculty i
By Pamela Reynolds
Missourian staff writer
It was 28 years ago mat Jack La- Zebn- ik
accepted an offer to teach
freshman English at Stephens Col-lege,
despite stubborn feelings that
his true calling was writing, not
teaching.
Now LaZebnik has accepted anoth-er
offer from Stephens, an offer of
early retirement This will allow bun
to pursue his first ratling without in-terruption.
" I'm not depending on writing for
an income," he says. " I just have
some urgent things I need to put
down . . . plays I want to produce.
But I'm not doing it for money.
There are easier ways of making
money. I'm choosing ante over mos-ey
and mat's something I couldn't
buy before." v
fffpfrpffr, who under the normal
retirement plan would have had to
0KlDKcf
wait two years to retire, is one of 10
instructors at Stephens and one of a
growing number of instructors
around the country who is accepting
an early retirement plan designed to
trim faculty.
Stephens' plan, devised by Dean of
Faculty Eugene Schmidtlein and ap-proved
by the Board of Curators in
March, has served as a prelude to a
similar University incentive up for
fproval by the University's Board
Curators in June. About 100 of the
University's faculty members would
qualify for the retirement plan if
they agree to leave by the end of the
1984- 8- 5 academic year.
Bom Stephens and the University
are following the growing nation-wide
trend of early retirement plans,
incentives, options and faculty buy
.
outs aimed specifically at decreas-ing
faculty numbers.
" We've noticed a greatly in-creased
interest among college per-sonnel
offices in studying early re-tirement
plans," says Karen Luke of
the College and University Person-nel
Association.
" More and more people contacting
us are interested in what kind of
things other schools are doing in this
area. They're getting worried about
the fact that professors are staying
on longer and longer. That means
salaries are going up. They're also
concerned with bringing in new tal-ent
In order to pay the new talent,
they have to get rid of those profes-sors
who have been on a long time.
Another reason is declining enrol-lment"
While Stephens is following the na-tional
trend, it also has fallen into
the national necessity of replacing
some of the retirees who are in de
partments where faculty cannot be
lost
Between four and five new instruc-tors
will be hired to fill the shoes of
the 10 instructors leaving, and at
least three replacements already
have been hired, although Schmidt-lein
declines to reveal their names.
Despite the unexpected rehiring
necessary to replace instructors in
the science, English, and language
departments, Schmidtlein stresses
that the program not only will work
to the college's advantage but also to
the advantage of instructors accept-ing
the plan.
But whether the program truly is
working to the advantage of the col-lege
is the most important question
on the minds of those leaving.
" My oruy worry is what win hap-pen
to the college," says LaZebnik.
" What will happen to my course on
the Holocaust?
" When we leave they're not re
placing us. That means the course
goes with us. That's the only thing I
really regret"
Barnes also is concerned about the
loss of programs. " I would simply
say, having directed the journalism
program for 26 years, that I am a bit
concerned about the program."
Schmidtlein agrees with LaZebnik
and Barnes that Stephens initially
will lose some valuable programs,
but he says popular and important
specialized courses will be replaced
eventually.
" Yes, in the immediate future
some things are going to drop out of
the curriculum. But if there's a de-mand,
an interest in a issue or topic
with lots of concern, generally,
someone in the faculty will respond
to that need. I feel there are going to
be very few instances that it will
happen, but one instance is enough
to cause concern," he says.
Schmidtlein says he believes an in- -
crease in faculty salaries takes pre-- '
cedence at this point
The loss of courses is not the Ste-phens
faculty's only worry. Faculty
members also say the early retire-ment
program was developed with-out
the advice and suggestions of the
instructors.
" My difficulty with the program is
that is was very hastily set up with-out
conferring with the faculty. It
will rob the school of its already
shallow sense of history," Barnes
says. " I am interested in knowing
how much it will lower the faculty's
average age."
LaZebnik says although he is con-cerned
about what the early retire-ment
option will do to the college, he
does not feel pushed out by the plan
because the decision to leave was
his.
" I am concerned that it's kind of
indiscriminate, though," says La-
Zebnik.

3- L':-
v:', f Sj. 65211
jffMf Columbia
76th Year No. 206 Good Morning! It's Thursday, May 17, 1984 2 Sections 16 Pages 25 Cents
Fugitive
at large
iii area
Man accused
of abducting
Eldon family
By Tom Warhover
Missourian staff writer
FAYETTE Police continued to search
early today for a 33- year-- old man who escap-ed
from the Howard County Courthouse here
Wednesday morning shortly after he was ar-rested
in connection with the kidnapping of
five people.
The suspect is identified as William Jacob
Clenin, who three weeks ago had moved to
Fayette fromSt. Joseph.
Howard County Deputy Sheriff Dave Bach- t- el
said that on Tuesday night, Clenin forced
his roommate, One Tomlin, 21, by gunpoint
into a car and then drove to Eldon, 27 mites
southwest of Jefferson City, where he also
abducted a family of four. They then drove
back to the Genin- Tomli- n home in Fayette.'
The family members were identified s
William and Juanita Stark and their chil-dren,
Angie, 8, and Kevin Leroy, 12.
Bachtel said the five people were set free
in the predawn hours of Wednesday when
Tomlin grabbed Qenin's .22- calib- er pistol.
There were no injuries stemming from the
incident
Tomlin and the Stark family then drove
Clenin to the Fayette water plant where the
police radio dispatcher is located. An officer
picked up Clenin and took him to the court-house
where the escape occurred.
Fayette Police Department, Howard Coun-ty
Sheriffs Department and the Missouri
State Highway Patrol joined the search for
Clenin, who was described as 6- fo- ot, 160- pou- nd
white male dressed in a denim shirt,
jeans, baseball cap and a cowboy boots.
According to Tomlin, Clenin had shaved his
curly hair up to two Inches above the ears
Tuesday night prior to the abduction inci-dent
In adjoining Randolph County, the Sher-iffs
Department had set up a roadblock at
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HWijflMffBBBBaMaBJPaW MfjjTrarar jSBaajjBJiaHCiiuyJrHaHJM HtBMHKHH9HBHjEBflnBEflDJ
' ajnajaHasi . n jaaaaaaaBHsaaaflBaBBassMBBanffltte v8Bu! Eftilsaafi8MfcMiv& MflBsBaHHEsMSKBnEKBa.--- ' SSBDss9amBHa9HH2jsBH9
iy TWMMBBMBifffS uy. aHMHBaaaHBBaMHiaMaaaHBBaHBay notr uBanSSpainrBaajiMHBjBs'- - raafiBBBBNBsaHaBaaHfiBBK oSSSKsKBSBUkIBHKBBKKBSBSS
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Lynne Buttemorth
Juanita and William Stark with son. Kevin, and dauahter. Anaie, after a kidnapper released them.
the county line in northeastern Howard
County. Tracking dogs and a helicopter were
used during the day in the extensive search.
The incident began about 8 p. m. Tuesday.
" I was laying in bed and here comes this
guy shaking the bed, and with a gun in his
hand," Tomlin said. " You don't argue with a
guy with a gun."
At about 11 p. m. Clenin and Tomlin ar-rived
at the Stark family home in Eldon.
According to Deputy Sheriff Bachtel, Jua-nita
Stark, 30, once had been Qenin's girl-friend
andlived with him for seven months.
Mrs. Stark said that Clenin forced Tomlin
to knock on the door, then hid in the nearby
woods. Tomlin asked for some water be-cause
his car was running hot, she said.
" My husband went to the kitchen for wa-ter,"
Mrs. Stark told UPI. " This man, One
( Tomlin), pulled a pistol and told us if we
wanted to live to get into the car. "
It was then that Clenin came out of the
woods, she said. " He asked me if I would
come back to him to save my husband's life.
I said no," she said. " He said, ' Don't you
love him enough for that?' I said, ' You would
kill him if I did that.'"
Sometime after 11 p. m. Tuesday, Juanita
Stark and the children, clad in pajamas and
nightgowns, and William Stark, shoeless but
wearing jeans and a T- shi- rt, got in Tomlin's
car and rode back to the Fayette home on
Missouri 5 rented by Tomlin and Clenin,
Bachtel said.
At the Fayette home, Clenin began drink-ing,
Tomlin said. When Clenin laid the pistol
on the table, Tomlin grabbed it.
" He was drinking and stuff and acting cra-zy,"
Tomlin said. " He set it ( the pistol) down
for a minute and I grabbed it. I told him to
lay down on the floor.
" He jumped up and started coming at me.
I fired off one round on the floor about 1
feet from him."
It was about 4 a. m. Wednesday when Tom-lin
took Clenin and the Stark family to the
Fayette Police Department Mrs. Stark said
that Tomlin drove 50 mph through the city to
attract the police, but drew no attention.
By 5: 15 a. m., sheriffs deputies and
Fayette police were in the courthouse inter-rogating
Clenin, Tomlin and the Starks. " At
that time it still wasn't clear exactly what
happened," Fayette Police Chief Steve
Morse said.
Morse said that Clenin stepped into an ad-joining
room tiat wasn't guarded.
" He ( Bachtel) thought I was watching him
See POLICE, Page 10A
New college president has lofty ideas
By Colette Panchot
Missourian staff writer
Donald Ruthenberg promised Stephens
College President Patsy Sampson a ride in
his hot- a- ir balloon several years ago in Des
Moines. When Ruthenberg takes office July 1
as Columbia College's next president, Samp-son
will have the chance to take him up on
his offer.
Sampson met Ruthenberg, a licensed com-mercial
balloonist and aviator, through'the
Iowa Association of Independent Colleges
and Universities while she was an adminis-trator
at Drake University.
Their paths may cross Friday when me 54- year--
old
sportsman, theologian and grandfather-
- to- be comes to town to attend the Co-lumbia
College Board of Trustees meeting.
Ruthenberg, president of the Iowa Asso-ciation,
was selected May 1 to replace Bruce
Kelly, Columbia College president since
1977. According to his friends and col-leagues,
Ruthenberg's personality and expe-rience
make him well- suite- d for the job. The
words " cooperative", " innovative" and
." perceptive" cropped up repeatedly in their
remarks.
" Don seeks consensus and keeps people in-formed,"
Sampson said. " He is a very capa-ble
and pleasant person, not a dictator."
Robert Evans, former administrator at
Southwestern College in Winfieki, Kan.,
where Ruthenburg was president from 1972
to 1980, said Ruthenberg's strength is bis
sSEti BBanHaaaBBBhLiBBBiBHSbaflHaV ! ' ''"'--
?' v " B ""' - "" J""?- -'
I HIP HL dEbtaibia who will kncsw
8 Bpjiis bout Columbia College 5::
ability to transform ideas into reality.
" He very rarely throws a wet blanket on
an idea," Evans said. Because Ruthenberg
is a positive thinker, his enthusiasm tends to
rub off on his co- worke- rs, he said. " He has a
real feel for the espirit of a college," Evans
said. " He is always challenging people to
move ahead, giving them a boost"
Earl SpideL vice president of business af-fairs
at Southwestern College, admires his
leadership style. " His forte is getting people
toexpress themselves and their ideas."
Spidel credits Ruthenburg with improving
the college's community relations. By host-ing
several on- camp- us luncheons with local
business people and becoming involved in
the community, Ruthenburg gained con-structive
ideas as well as financial support
for Southwestern College, Spidel said.
The same will happen for Columbia Col-lege,
Spidel predicted. " There are people in
Columbia who will know about Columbia
College who haven't known before," he said.
Ruthenberg's leadership experience at
Southwestern College, a Methodist school of
about 650 students, combined with his 27
years of experience in education, were
among the factors with which he secured the
Columbia College presidency.
" He was the clear favorite," said Jack
Batterson, Columbia College history profes-sor
and a member of the selection committee
that sifted through 108 applications.
Batterson said he sensed an air of anticipa-tion
surrounding Ruthenberg's arrival. " Al-most
all of the faculty is pleased and excited
about his appointment," he said.
Ruthenberg, who has turned down several
job offers for each of the past eight years,
said he is eager to " hit the ground running"
at Columbia College. Once there, he will ap-ply
his pragmatic problem- solvin- g approach
gained from a lifetime of experience and
from the study of Eastern, Chinese and
Christian philosophy.
" Everything is negotiable in my book,"
Ruthenburg said. " Every issue can be bro-ken
down into workable units. Nothing is in-surmountable
if rational people put their
heads together."
Ruthenberg's appreciation for diversity of
opinion is rooted in his family heritage.
His great- uncl- e, Charles Emil Ruthenberg,
founded the American Communist Party.
Another great- uncl- e, Lewis August Ruthen-berg,
was an original member of the John
Birch Society, a conservative, anti- Commun- ist
group.
" Differences are necessary to keep life
from becoming static," Ruthenburg said.
Special
session
rejected
by Bond
From our wire services
JEFFERSON CITY - Despite the failure
of the 1984 session of the Missouri legis-lature
to approve a measure dealing with
property reassessment. Gov. Christopher
Bond said Wednesday he would not call a
special session on the matter
" I see no compelling need to call a special
session to pursue that which the legislature
was unable to accomplish in the regular ses-sion,"
Bond said.
During a news conference here. Bond also
spoke proudly of the sound financial condi-tion
in which he will leave the state at the
end of his term. The next fiscal year will be-gin
with a substantial cash reserve in the
state treasury, the governor said.
Bond made the remarks after signing sev-eral
bills designed to further improve the
state's system of collecting tax revenue,
yielding an additional $ 26.3 million for the
treasury.
The governor said his administration has
succeeded in guiding the state through seve-ral
years of economic depression as well as
overcoming financial mismanagement by
the previous administration of Gov. Joseph
P. Teasdale.
" I'm very pleased that we can expect a
healthy cash reserve of $ 128 million in the
next fiscal year ( beginning July D," said
Bond. " We inherited a state government that
was $ 270 million out of balance when we took
over in January 1981.
" We found state government being run in a
lousy fashion."
The governor said the state will be in a
strong financial condition when his adminis-tration
ends next January.
The possibility of a special session arose
after a bill intended to keep property assess-ments
up to date in coming years died on the
final night of the 1984 session. Opponents of
the measure staged a filibuster to delay a
vote on the bill.
Senate President Pro Tern John Scott, D- S- t.
Louis, has said he was adamantly op-posed
to a special session on reassessment
And the sponsor of the bill. Sen. James Math- ewso- n,
D- Sedal- ia, said he thought a special
session would not accomplish much.
The Senate provided the strongest resis-tance
to the bill and, at one point in the ses-sion,
spent nearly three weeks debating the
measure.
Senate Minority Leader Richard Webster,
R- Carth- age, said Wednesday that a special
session would do little because there still was
strong opposition to Mathewson's bill.
House Majority Floor Leader Thomas Vil-la,
D- S- t. Louis, also has said he opposed a
special session on reassessment
A few senators and representatives, in-cluding
House Speaker Bob Griffin, D- Cam- er-on,
have said certain provisions in the bill
that define particular classes of property
make it necessary to pass the bill before
statewide property reassessment begins
January of 1985.
But, Bond said he did not believe the mea-sure
needed further debate in the Legis-lature,
which had extensively considered the
bill in its regular session.
The failed reassessment bill set forth pro-cedures
to keep property assessments up- to- da- te
in the coming years.
The Missouri Supreme Court, in a land-mark
1978 ruling, told the Legislature and
the Missouri Tax Commission to put an end ,
to decades of unequal property assessments
in Missouri.
Missouri voters in 1982 approved a consti-tutional
amendment allowing the across- the- boar- d
reassessment The Legislature passed
a reassessment bill in 1983.
This session's failed assessment bill would
have given the counties about $ 3 million a
year to keep property assessments up- to- da- te.
Retirement plan doesn't relax Stephens faculty i
By Pamela Reynolds
Missourian staff writer
It was 28 years ago mat Jack La- Zebn- ik
accepted an offer to teach
freshman English at Stephens Col-lege,
despite stubborn feelings that
his true calling was writing, not
teaching.
Now LaZebnik has accepted anoth-er
offer from Stephens, an offer of
early retirement This will allow bun
to pursue his first ratling without in-terruption.
" I'm not depending on writing for
an income," he says. " I just have
some urgent things I need to put
down . . . plays I want to produce.
But I'm not doing it for money.
There are easier ways of making
money. I'm choosing ante over mos-ey
and mat's something I couldn't
buy before." v
fffpfrpffr, who under the normal
retirement plan would have had to
0KlDKcf
wait two years to retire, is one of 10
instructors at Stephens and one of a
growing number of instructors
around the country who is accepting
an early retirement plan designed to
trim faculty.
Stephens' plan, devised by Dean of
Faculty Eugene Schmidtlein and ap-proved
by the Board of Curators in
March, has served as a prelude to a
similar University incentive up for
fproval by the University's Board
Curators in June. About 100 of the
University's faculty members would
qualify for the retirement plan if
they agree to leave by the end of the
1984- 8- 5 academic year.
Bom Stephens and the University
are following the growing nation-wide
trend of early retirement plans,
incentives, options and faculty buy
.
outs aimed specifically at decreas-ing
faculty numbers.
" We've noticed a greatly in-creased
interest among college per-sonnel
offices in studying early re-tirement
plans," says Karen Luke of
the College and University Person-nel
Association.
" More and more people contacting
us are interested in what kind of
things other schools are doing in this
area. They're getting worried about
the fact that professors are staying
on longer and longer. That means
salaries are going up. They're also
concerned with bringing in new tal-ent
In order to pay the new talent,
they have to get rid of those profes-sors
who have been on a long time.
Another reason is declining enrol-lment"
While Stephens is following the na-tional
trend, it also has fallen into
the national necessity of replacing
some of the retirees who are in de
partments where faculty cannot be
lost
Between four and five new instruc-tors
will be hired to fill the shoes of
the 10 instructors leaving, and at
least three replacements already
have been hired, although Schmidt-lein
declines to reveal their names.
Despite the unexpected rehiring
necessary to replace instructors in
the science, English, and language
departments, Schmidtlein stresses
that the program not only will work
to the college's advantage but also to
the advantage of instructors accept-ing
the plan.
But whether the program truly is
working to the advantage of the col-lege
is the most important question
on the minds of those leaving.
" My oruy worry is what win hap-pen
to the college," says LaZebnik.
" What will happen to my course on
the Holocaust?
" When we leave they're not re
placing us. That means the course
goes with us. That's the only thing I
really regret"
Barnes also is concerned about the
loss of programs. " I would simply
say, having directed the journalism
program for 26 years, that I am a bit
concerned about the program."
Schmidtlein agrees with LaZebnik
and Barnes that Stephens initially
will lose some valuable programs,
but he says popular and important
specialized courses will be replaced
eventually.
" Yes, in the immediate future
some things are going to drop out of
the curriculum. But if there's a de-mand,
an interest in a issue or topic
with lots of concern, generally,
someone in the faculty will respond
to that need. I feel there are going to
be very few instances that it will
happen, but one instance is enough
to cause concern," he says.
Schmidtlein says he believes an in- -
crease in faculty salaries takes pre-- '
cedence at this point
The loss of courses is not the Ste-phens
faculty's only worry. Faculty
members also say the early retire-ment
program was developed with-out
the advice and suggestions of the
instructors.
" My difficulty with the program is
that is was very hastily set up with-out
conferring with the faculty. It
will rob the school of its already
shallow sense of history," Barnes
says. " I am interested in knowing
how much it will lower the faculty's
average age."
LaZebnik says although he is con-cerned
about what the early retire-ment
option will do to the college, he
does not feel pushed out by the plan
because the decision to leave was
his.
" I am concerned that it's kind of
indiscriminate, though," says La-
Zebnik.